Rayo next in red-hot Suarez's firing line

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Buoyed by Luis Suarez's red-hot form, underlined by his four goals in three games, Barcelona will take on Rayo Vallecano on Sunday hoping to maintain the pressure on La Liga leaders Real Madrid ahead of their showdown later this month.

Rayo next in red-hot Suarez's firing line

(Reuters)





Suarez made a tentative start at the Camp Nou but is rediscovering the lethal edge in front of goal that saw him finish last season as top scorer in the English Premier League with Liverpool before his 81 million euro (58.6 million pounds) move to the Catalan side.

Having missed the first four months of the season as a result of a biting ban, Suarez concentrated on helping the team and linked up well with Lionel Messi and Neymar.

Questions were asked about the effectiveness of his direct style of play compared to Barca's traditionally measured build up but he is now answering those with crucial goals.

Suarez struck twice last week as Barca beat Manchester City 2-1 away in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 clash and last weekend scored one and helped set up the other two in their 3-1 La Liga triumph over Granada.

Then on Wednesday he helped book Barca's first final under coach Luis Enrique with the second goal in a 3-1 King's Cup victory against Villarreal.

"I push myself a lot and the most important thing is to help the team. In the last few weeks I have felt more comfortable and not just because I have been scoring goals," Suarez told reporters.

"It is always special to reach a final and playing for Barca you are obliged to win all the competitions in which you play."

This has coincided with Suarez showing more of a combative streak. He was one booking away from suspension during the Villarreal game and Luis Enrique had to signal to him to ease back in the final stages.

They now face Rayo and then Eibar before they face Real Madrid on March 22 at the Camp Nou with their arch rivals holding a two-point lead in the table.

Real aim to bounce back from a 1-1 draw with Villarreal last weekend with a trip to Athletic Bilbao and then take on Levante at home before the Clasico.





(Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world